Most of the land at Heatherwood Hospital is to be sold off, in a move campaigners fear will lead to its eventual closure.

NHS bosses said it was essential to secure the future of the hospital and promised to rebuild it on a smaller scale, when they revealed the future of the site at a meeting on Monday.

Philippa Slinger, chief executive of Heatherwood and Wexham Park Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We will be selling the majority of the land at Heatherwood.

“We offer a range of great services, but we’re doing it on much too big a scale. Most of the buildings we have are empty and those that are used aren’t full.

“Our plan is to rebuild the hospital to provide all the services we currently provide, but on a much smaller footprint.”

Terry Pearce, chairman of Defend Our Community Services (DOCS) which supports Save Heatherwood Hospital, said: “There are some concerns about selling off such a large amount of land.

“We’re worried the hospital will become so small that a few years down the line it will be in a position to close.

“I would imagine it will be redeveloped for housing, it’s a very large portion of land.”

Ms Slinger, who trained as a mental health nurse, could not say whether the site in London Road, Ascot, would be developed for housing.

She said: “It’s not within our rights to decide or say what might happen to it. What happens to it is completely up to the local planning authority to decide and approve.”

Terry said: “We’ve done very well so far in managing to save Heatherwood and keep it open.”

“We’re concerned once the land is sold the hospital will lose more services such as the dental and children’s units.”

After unveiling the plans at the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead Council’s adult services and health overview and scrutiny panel at Ascot Racecourse this week, Ms Slinger moved to reassure patients.

She said: “Subject to the outcome of the Shaping the Future consultation, all the services which are currently provided will continue to be provided, including a high quality elective surgery service.”

Shaping the Future aimed to discover how neighbours and health care users felt about plans to close the stroke rehabilitation ward to offer care in patients’ homes, move the minor injuries unit to Brants Bridge and permanently close the Ascot Birth Centre at the hospital.

Recommendations brought forward by the consultation will be heard before a final decision is made on the NHS Berkshire proposals at a public meeting at the Holiday Inn in Manor Lane, Maidenhead, on Tuesday, March 26, at 10.30am. To submit a question email STFteam@berkshire.nhs.uk .